TRAVELING WITH TAPAS A BIT MORE....

Carl Jung invites us to "Explore daily, the will of God."


...Tapas is the deep depth of the soul's inquiry within and, as Rolf Gates says, tapas is also embracing the heart of an explorer. Tapas is the willingness to work hard in practice, the desire to know oneself, and the will to be honest (satya). 


And yet, each of these virtues are predicated on the genuine desire for spiritual health. This burning zeal & desire will give us consistency. We'll have our shares of 'ups' and 'down's on this ROLLER COASTER WE CALL LIFE; days when our minds are ready and able to 'give it our all', and our bodies just DON'T, and vice versa.


As we practice being a COMPASSIONATE witness to ourselves, to our own soul's journey, to our humanness, we learn that hard, fast rules need not be held so tightly... And, we can focus on our hearts' desires to KNOW MORE, BE MORE....


We're traveling with tapas in the 'pocket of our hearts'...exploring the desire of God...as we live upon our answers to our questions, as we discover our Dharma (our reason for being, life's purpose).


Tapas helps us keep trying, consistently opening ourselves to potential, to possibilities, to miracles, to more.... and also allows us to rest on our mats in a difficult pose, surrender to savasana when our minds are too full, take a 'day off' when we're too overwhelmed... 


So often we expect more of ourselves than we do other people...


Tapas allows us to love and respect ourselves, to not be the harsh judge, but rather, the loving arms to welcome our own selves home at the end of the day...trusting in the new dawn, new beginning...tapas! Always there, awaiting our journey onward, inward....such an amazing saga, blessed with zeal, devotion, dedication, desire, intention, will, destiny...
Inhale each moment, each new experience, each breath, and exhale each judgment...


Enjoy the travels with tapas in your heart and soul!


Om shanti, Om peace, Om tapas!
Lee Ann

EIGHT SPOKES ON THIS 'WHEEL OF LIFE'~ EIGHT-LIMB PATH OF YOGA...

Rolf Gates makes it very clear that without the first two LIMBS OF YOGA (YAMAS and NIYAMAS), the other six Limbs are meaningless.....and I find it so interesting that the YAMAS (moral restraints) and the NIYAMAS (moral observations) are the REAL SUPPORT and STRENGTH of this 8 Limb Path~ more vitally important than yoga ASANAS (postures), PRANAYAMA (breathing exercises), PRATYAHARA (withdrawal of the senses), DHARANA (concentration), DHYANA (meditation), SAMADHI (bliss/Union with the Divine)....Rolf implies that 'Anyone can DO yoga postures'...the real question is: DO I CHOOSE TO LIVE MY YOGA, when I walk away from my mat?

And it's even more interesting that the FIRST YAMA IS: AHIMSA~ NON-VIOLENCE in our thoughts, words, actions....on the yoga mat, am I willing to explore the asanas, and do no violence to myself: not twist TOO HARD, and yet, 'go to my edge': where I feel sensations in my body, but not pain, not violence? Is my desire to do/be MY BEST, or 'keep up' with that awesome form next to my mat? "Wow, he does a masterful 'peacock pose'! I want to do that!"...Am I conscious of 'backing off' when my hip (or shoulder or back) hurt, or is my ego mucking up AHIMSA....if I choose to push, pull, harder, deeper, so I can KEEP UP with those around me....once again, muting the 'voice within me' IS VIOLENCE TO MYSELF! So, we could be doing a nice 'asana practice, with pranayama, and concentration' but experiencing the antithesis of AHIMSA....

As we've been discussing, AHIMSA takes many forms, whether it be people practicing a vegetarian diet because they choose "not to be violent to anything with 'eyes'" (eating no meat or fish, or any variation thereof), or 'not taking up "arms" to fight', or mindfully watching the thoughts they think and the words they choose to speak....

It's easy to say: "Oh, I'm not violent~ got that yama covered~ check!"...It seems to me that this FIRST ASPECT of the FIRST SPOKE entails far more contemplation, thought, meditation, focus and effort than we realize...than we may even want to consider...too much time, too much work, too much....

It's a TRUE JOURNEY, as we wheel our way through our lives, with each twist and turn in the road, to practice ahimsa, and yet, on our journeys, as we 'wheel along', we have ample opportunities to grow, to learn, to let go, to re-learn, to PRACTICE again and again~ AHIMSA...non-violence...

We're human, beautiful in our own unique ways; we're still here on the highways, the dirt roads of our lives, because OUR WORK IS NOT YET DONE. We're learning where the potholes are in our roadways; we're learning our lessons; we're learning ahimsa, again and again...and again....

Do we choose this direction or that? This road or that? Ahimsa or not? Our choice, our journey....Wishing you a 'smooth road' as you 'wheel on through this day'~ om shanti, om peace!